Spice It Up

Afraid of vampires? Take haven at this weekend's Delray Beach Garlic Festival.

Everything's better with garlic

FRI 11/11

Hurricane Wilma may have had some potent breath, but she's got nothin' on this weekend's Seventh Annual Delray Beach Garlic Festival at the grounds of Old School Square (51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach). You name it and there's a recipe for it that uses heaping helpings of the stinky stuff.

On Saturday and Sunday, renowned South Florida chefs do "Iron Chef"-style battle while gourmet vendors peddle their garlicky treats, from the expected salsas and pizzas to the unexpected (you simply haven't lived until you've tried garlic ice cream).

And what's a festival without live music? Little Feat and former Allman Brother Dickey Betts headline Friday and Sunday, respectively, and the reunited Gin Blossoms rock off Atlantic Avenue (but not on "Alison Road") Saturday night. Add to this the usual assortment of merchant booths, a little bit of fine wine, and activities for the kids and you've got yourself a spicy good reason to forget about this hurricane crap and have a little fun. Remember, garlic is good for you; stress is not.

Although it may seem that way since the unwelcome arrival of Hurricane Wilma, South Florida has not been blasted back to the Dark Ages. Or has it? Just as life gets back to something resembling normalcy after weeks with no power, Camelot Days steps out of the Dark Ages and into the time of Enlightenment. It's an occasion for a feast! Join artists, actors, swordfighters, dancers, musicians, face-painters, jesters, and knights (not to mention goths, comic-book geeks, and Monty Python fans) as they converge upon T.Y. Park (3300 N. Park Rd., Hollywood) this Saturday and Sunday. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. both days. Admission costs $7 for adults and $3 for children ages 6 to 12 (plus the $1-per-person park admission fee). Kids under age 6 are admitted free. Sorry, challises not provided. Call 954-292-1581, or visit www.camelotdays.com.  Lewis Goldberg

Strange State

We are the weird

THU 11/10

Retirement homes and real estate scams. Boob jobs and runaway snakes. Welcome to the Sunshine State, or as author Eliot Kleinberg refers to it, Weird Florida. But because our state is too bizarre for just one book, Kleinberg produced a second  Weird Florida II: In a State of Shock. In the seven years that followed Weird Florida, the author and Palm Beach Post writer has had no problem finding material for a sequel. To wit: anthrax at the AMI building, the Elián Gonzalez melee, and all that fun we had during the 2000 presidential election. Kleinberg discusses our home-grown weirdness at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bethesda-by-the-Sea (141 S. County Rd., Palm Beach). Call 561-832-4164.  Jason Budjinski